Straps

The strap is often seen just as an extra to a watch. Not in our eyes. We are of the opinion that the design and quality manufacture of a strap is as important as the watch itself and with strap change becoming as easy as it now is, anyone can team colours and fabrics to complement any selection of clothing.

The strap is often seen just as an extra to a watch. Not in our eyes. We are of the opinion that the design and quality manufacture of a strap is as important as the watch itself and with strap change becoming as easy as it now is, anyone can team colours and fabrics to complement any selection of clothing.

Watches, Shirts and Savile Row. A Timothy Everest blog.

Time waits for no man, and neither does fashion. However one is always looking to embrace the reassuring and the reliable along with the relevant.

Perhaps that is why the mechanical watch has again become such an important part of a gentleman’s wardrobe.

Watches have grown from a humble 37mm, through what was once considered a sporty 42mm and now to an even more substantial 48mm.

This presents a new challenge to the contemporary tailor; the need for a more capacious cuff to accommodate the larger time piece. However, form should follow function - any proud owner of a fine watch would not want to conceal his pride and joy entirely, but give a tantalizing glimpse of what lies beneath.

It is common practice at any gathering for men to be ‘wrist watching’. In fact on many occasions this practice can be a fine social entree and/or ice breaker. To facilitate the practice, I favour the shirts of Timothy Everest in general and their two button barrel cuffs in particular.

I asked Julian of Timothy Everest’s Mayfair Store if the size of a modern watch is a factor when choosing a shirt. ‘Of course,’ he replied – in his bespoke shirt order book, one can choose the style of cut, collar, sleeve length and, most importantly for the watch fan, the size of cuff. Cuff sizes can be increased by increments of 0.5cm to the client’s request.

Some Italian tailors have favoured elaborate dispositions, such as cut out flaps and even an ability to wear the watch over the cuff and not under it (universally referred to as “The Gianni Agnelli option”, after its most famous proponent).

From this writer’s point of view, Tim’s barrel cuffs provide the most simple and eloquent of solutions to the chunky watch-sleeve conundrum.